Improvement in grain-driers



W. H. SUTTON 82; J. J. GIBSON.

GRAIN DRIER.

No. 40,130. Patented Sept. 29, 1863.

Z7; 96, 7a Z5729,

ma norms vans co, mom-umn. vusmmmn. n c

UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

WEST.

WILLIAM H. SUTTON AND JAMES JOHN meson-0F BRANTFORQCARADA IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-DRI'ERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40, I30, dated September 29, 1863.

1'0 all whom it may concern.-

' Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. S 'rToN' and JAMES J. GIBSON, of Brantford, in the county of Brant and Province of Oanada,have invented a Combined Hot and Cold Air Mechanical Grain-Drier; and we do hereby-dc: clare that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description of the same, reference being I will proceed to describe it.

A'represents a kilnor hot air chamber of rectangular form, of any suitable dimensions and constructed in any proper way. Wood lined with metal would answer a goodpurpose. At the top of this kiln or hot-air chamber A there is a metal perforated plate, B, which is bent so as to form a series of concaves, a, the plate B being sustained by rods 0, which are placed under the plate between-the upper parts of the concaves a, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. The ends of the rods 0 are fitted in the ends of the kiln, and in each concave a thereis placed a spiral conveyer, D. These conveyors are formed of a shaft, b, having a spiral flange, 0,

upon them, and they may be constructed by having the flange cast around a wrought-iron shaft, or by having wooden blades attached in a spiral line around a wooden shaft, or'the flange and shaft may all be cast in one piece.

These conveyors are made of such dimensions that they will fit snugly in the concaves, the edges'of the flanges being in contact with the inner surfaces of the concaves. The ends of the shafts of the conveyors have their bearings in the ends of-the kiln, and the upper ends of the concaves are on a level with the upper edges of the flanges of the conveyors, as shown in-Fig. 3. The flanges c of the several shaftab have not all the same position, but are reversed alternately, as will be seen by referring to Fig.1. This disposition or arrangement of the flanges enablesus to rotate the conveyors in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, and still move the grain in the same directions in all the congears would be required in order to rotate the conveyers all in one directionand move the grainin the concaves accordingly. The perforations of the concaves a are sufiiciently small to prevent grain passing through them, and are as close together as practicable to admit of the free passage of the heated air through them. On one end of the kiln A there is placed a hopper, E, which extends the whole width of the kiln, and .is provided with an inclined bottom, d,'having a number of holes, 6, made in it, one over each concave a. The grain is spouted into this hopper, and passes from thence through the holes 0 into the concaves a, and is conveyed along in the concaves in the direction indicated by the arrows 1-, motion being commnnicated'to'the conveyers from a driving-shaft, F, through the medium of-a belt, f. The amount or volume of, grain discharged into the concaves a may be, regulated by means of slides, arranged to wor over theholes e in the bottom of the hopper, and the speed of the driving-shaft F may be governed by having the driving-belt pass-over cone-pulleys thereon. The grain is moved along in the concaves a, under the action of the conveyors, in thin sheets or strata, and the heated air from the kiln passes through the perforated concavesa at their bottoms and sides, and through the grain, drying the same in itspassage along the concaves.

The kiln or hot-air chamberA maybe heated direct by a stove placed within it, or a furnace may be inclosed.within a hot-air chamher at any convenient distance from the kiln, the latter being supplied with heated'air by means of suitable pipes. This latter arrangement would be attended with less risk from H, inclosed within a tight box, I, at one end of the kiln A. Within this tube H there is placed a spiral conveyor, J, the diameter ofwhich may be rather greater than those of .D.

The conveyer J is at right angles to the conveyers D, and J is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 2, and the grain is discharged through an opening, 9, at one end of the bottom of the box I. The grain, while being thus moved in the perforated tube H, is subjected to a blast of cold air generated by the rotation of a fan in a case, K, at the discharge end of the box I, so that the blast will act against the grain as the latter-is moved toward the ian. The box I being tight, the blast, having no other escape, passes through the perforated tube H, through the grain therein, and also through the chute G.

as indicated by the arrows 3, the cold blast absorbing' the heat from the grain and cansing the same to be discharged from the box I in a cool state, so that it may be safely stowed away in bulk. In cases where the 'concaves a would be exposed to the weather-as, for instance, when on a floating elevator-the conve ers D may he eovered, and the covering provided with a cowl at the top to admit of the escape of the steam or vapor from the damp grain.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

1. The perforated metal plate B, bent so as to form a series of parallel concaves a, in combination with the spiral conveyers D and a kiln, A, all arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The eon'veyer J, placed within the perforated tube H, fitted within a close or tight Witnesses J 0s. A. GIDDINGs JAMES DAVIDSON. 

